Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Festival: Sky Spectacular

Didn’t know what to expect but was absolutely blown away by the experience. Cannot recommend enough! The entire experience was so meaningful and memorable it’s hard to put into perspective. It’s something you need to see in person to understand the magnitude of the experience. Absolutely every person we encountered was so nice and friendly. One would think with the amount of people amassed there may be some kind of tension or issues but we experienced zero situations. The balloonists were more than happy to answer questions and share their knowledge. Definitely a place to bring children. Main Street is a cool place with lots of shops and food options. The loaded potato nachos are to die for! Several beer gardens great for people watching or a nice place to relax and listen to live music and have a drink or three 😉 Dawn Patrol was cathartic! Up early but worth it. Get parking and bus tickets, such a seamless process on lockdown which is so appreciated. The Character Rodeo at sunset…WOW!!! Just WOW!!! Cannot recommend this entire experience enough!!!

My husband and I attended for the first time this year. The laser show, fireworks, character balloons, morning launch were all fantastic! They have different balloon events. You can go early morning to watch the balloons take off. In the early evening, they have the character balloons, where they light them all up. A schedule of events ate posted so you can decide what best fits i to your schedule. Buses transportation is also provided at a small cost to avoid the heavy traffic. They use both school and coach busses. Handicap bus is provided and drop off closer to the event. There are so many food vendors and so much to see. We will go back for sure!

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is a must add to your bucket list. No pun intended. The atmosphere is friendly and festive. The best part was watching how thy spread out the balloons and fill them up with flames. The crowds gathered by each individual balloon and gave cheers as the pilot lifted off the ground to float away. Tips: Don’t pre-order tickets as they are nonrefundable. If the wind gets to be over 10 miles per hour the balloons can’t fly. Buy tickets at the gate upon arrival. Get there early around 5:30am to get the best parking spots. And remember where you parked or you may have a hard time locating your vehicle. Bring a coat. The morning in the high desert is pretty chilly. The souvenirs are competitively priced. You can find similar or even the same souvenirs in old town Albuquerque however, prices are slightly more expensive in old town Albuquerque.

This has been on our bucket list since we got engaged over 27 years ago! You HAVE to experience this at least once! It’s so beautiful! It’s amazing how all of these can be coordinated into such an excellent experience! People come from 20 different countries, over 500 pilots! It’s crazy! It’s awesome! The vendors here are also amazing! For soooo many people there to take care of-everyone was so nice and excited to be there as well as the viewing audience! Truly! Take your kids! Take your pocket book! But, go! Because it’s so cool!

This is a MUST DO for everyone! What an amazing and magical experience. Every person, from young to old, has whimsical smile on their face for hours as the balloons launch into the air. 500+ balloons in the air over 3 hours, it is hard to even describe how awesome this sight is to see in person.